David K. Campbell

Professor David K. Campbell holds dual appointments in the Department of Physics and Electrical & Computer Engineering at Boston University. He previously served as Dean of Engineering and Provost of Boston University. He earned his bachelor's degree from Harvard University (1966), Part III Mathematics Tripos from Cambridge University (1967), and PhD in theoretical physics from Cambridge (1970). His research focuses on nonlinear science, solitons, chaos theory, and condensed matter physics. He co-founded the journal Chaos and pioneered studies on discrete breathers, Bose-Einstein condensates, and graphene.

Education:

• Bachelor's in Physics/Chemistry, Harvard College (1966)
• Part III Mathematics Tripos, Cambridge University (1967)
• PhD in Theoretical Physics & Applied Mathematics, Cambridge (1970)

Research Interests: Nonlinear phenomena in quantum systems, ultracold atomic gases, graphene devices, and functional renormalization group methods. His work bridges high-energy field theory and condensed matter, emphasizing novel states of matter like ILMs and topological semiconductors.

Advising & Collaborations: Advised numerous PhD students including Ted Pudlik (functional renormalization group) and Salvatore Pace (FPUT recurrences). Collaborates with experimental groups like Prof. Alex Sushkov’s lab on quantum state manipulation.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Campbell Group within the Condensed Matter Theory section of BU Physics, focusing on cutting-edge research in nonlinear dynamics and quantum materials.